App Review: Teddy Tumble Maze Puzzler

Teddy Tumble for iPhone, one of the best takes on a maze puzzler I’ve seen in that its game mechanics are as fun, innovative and addicting as discovering new, faster routes through the maze.

And these fast routes will prove integral to you finishing each level with the maximum score for the ultimate bragging rights on the points leader board. Teddy Tumble is 90 levels of pure app gaming addiction. Perfect for the train, bus or car (if you’re a passenger) ride into work, school or just about anywhere.

Unlike most puzzlers that based most of their game mechanics on your basic right, left, up and down directions, Teddy Tumble is omni-directional just like a washing machine would be. The physics are the exact same too. Imaging you’re in a washing machine and it’s spinning fast. You would assume that you would fly to the outside just like those crazy rides at the fair. You’d be correct too. And on the flip side, if you spin it slow your precious little Teddy will have a chance to fall in certain levels do to the gravity that Mr. Newton discovered years ago.

This physics-based puzzler puts quite the twist on sliding, turning and bumping Teddy through the maze and to the clean clothesline. And it’s free for now to download with the option to unlock the full game for $.99. However, simply “like” their Facebook page from within the app to unlock the entire game for free. Of course, it’s worth the full price in the first place.

After launching the app, my suggestion is to jump directly into gameplay. One pass through level one and you’ll be an expert in how it works, but each level will challenge you in difficulty.

As for the design of the game, the Teddy Tumble reminds me of the little Snuggle Bear from the fabric softener commercials. And like Mr. Snuggles, you’ll notice that Teddy Tumbles without lasers, bombs or exploding soap bubbles although that might be a great update for futures versions. But of course, I’m a big fan of that type of blow them up gaming.

As you progress through the levels so will you progress in difficulty. In fact, you’ll notice that your brain starts to hurt a little bit around the second series of levels, but not for lack of understanding them, merely for knowing how to finish them and failing to do so due to obstacles such as one-way locking levers and air vents.

The fact that the game is omnidirectional throws a huge kink into some levels as get your Teddy to do what you want takes a understanding of the physics of the game. Spin the area fast and you might hit an obstacle, but spin too slow and you’ll most likely miss the detergent for extra points.

Speaking of points, the quicker you finish the level, the more time bonus you receive, which leads to a bigger score. And of course, the more detergent you collect, the more points you get. Hit dirt and you’ll not only find your Teddy dirty, but missing some points too.

And then there’s the bonus content. And who doesn’t love bonus content? Especially when it involves an original comic series. Found under the options tab on the home screen, the bonus materials feature said six issues of the comic as well as original concept art for a behind-the-scenes look.

For those of you who enjoy gaming on the iPhone or Android and care to try out an interesting spin on the puzzle genre, Teddy Tumble is the perfect game for you. It’s free to download and try and if you “like” their Facebook page within the app you’ll unlock the entire game for free, but only for a limited time.